Systems and methods for generating and distributing executable procedures for technical desk-side support

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

0001This application in a Continuation Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/630,959, filed on Jul. 30, 2003, which is fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

0002The invention generally relates to systems and methods for generating and disseminating computer-executable procedures for providing technical support. More specifically, the invention relates to systems and methods for dynamically generating computer executable technical support procedures, as well as updating/augmenting such executable procedures, by tracking and processing sequences of actions (execution traces) that are taken by experts (or users) when performing a procedure or when executing an executable procedure.

BACKGROUND

0003Currently, technical support is provided either in-person or remotely, whereby individual problems are addressed by technical support staff. When the same problems or similar problems are encountered, the same solution procedures or similar solution procedures are repeatedly executed to solve such problems.

0004When a procedure needs to be executed on a large number of machines, e.g., to upgrade portions of the operating system on all machines belonging to an organization, it is customary to script the procedure (i.e., build a program in an appropriate high-level language that executes the procedure). The process of building such scripts, however, is extremely expensive in terms of costs associated with design, development and testing, although the costs associated with design and development time are usually negligible as compared to the costs associated with test time.

0005In contrast to regular end-user applications that are easily portable across different versions of the same operating system and across different configurations of the same operating system, maintenance and upgrade procedures often modify inner layers or parameters of the operating systems. Therefore, maintenance and upgrade procedures must be tested on a wide variety of operating system versions and configurations. This requires a substantial time investment as well as a large, well-equipped testing facility.

0006Due to the costs associated with scripting procedures, other methods may be used for enabling maintenance or upgrades. For instance, one method is to produce a document having instructions that guide a user through the necessary maintenance and upgrade steps. However, much like general software documentation, these instructions are often difficult to follow. For example, the instructions may read “if you have version XX of the operating system, go to step 5, otherwise go to step 3. To determine which version of the operating system your machine is running go to step 13.” This instruction can be confusing even for an expert user, and does not cover all possible situations. Therefore, the alternate solution using instructive documents has a hidden cost in that users for whom the documentation is too difficult or incomplete to understand are forced to call a support center and must be assisted on an individual basis.

0007Other disadvantages associated with conventional methods that use scripted procedures or documentation is that such methods suffer from obsolescence. For example, as newer versions of operating systems, applications, and hardware components become available, scripted procedures must be updated to accommodate the newer versions and such updates are often very costly. Similarly, instructive documentation must be appropriately revised by adding new sections and such revisions only render such documents more confusing for end-users.

0008A need therefore exists for improved systems and methods for generating and disseminating technical support procedures that enable maintenance and upgrades of various systems, which overcome the problems associated with conventional methods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

0009The present invention is directed to systems and methods for generating and disseminating computer-executable procedures for providing technical support. More specifically, the invention is directed to systems and methods for dynamically generating computer executable technical support procedures, as well as updating/augmenting such executable procedures, by tracking and processing sequences of actions (execution traces) that are taken by experts (or users) when performing a procedure or when executing an executable procedure.

0010In one embodiment of the invention, a method for generating a reusable executable procedure comprises obtaining a plurality of execution traces, wherein each execution trace represents an execution instance of a procedure, and then processing the execution traces to create a reusable executable procedure that is associated with the procedure.

0011Preferably, an execution trace is obtained by monitoring and recording a sequence of actions that are performed by an individual (e.g., expert) when executing an instance of the procedure. Further, one or more executed actions can be annotate to describe such actions.

0012In another embodiment of the invention, the execution traces are processed by aligning the execution traces to identify corresponding steps between the execution traces, and then generalizing the aligned execution traces to generate the reusable executable procedure. A generalization process according to the invention comprises generalizing branches of procedures, generalizing iterations of procedures, generalizing recovery from failure of procedures, or generalizing variables of procedures, for example.

0013Preferably, reusable executable procedures are stored in a library of reusable executable procedures for distribution to a plurality of users. The reusable executable procedures can be executed in a client device (e.g., personal computer) for diagnosing hardware or software or upgrading software, for example.

0014During execution of an executable procedure, at the user's option, or due to circumstances in which one or more steps of an executable procedure cannot be successfully executed, the user can control the procedure execution by manually performing one or more steps of the executable procedure. An execution trace representing the user's actions, for example, when manually performing such steps can then be processed to augment the reusable executable procedure.

0015More specifically, in another embodiment of the invention, a method for executing a reusable procedure comprises launching a reusable executable procedure, automatically executing procedure steps associated with the reusable executable procedure, and relinquishing control of execution of the reusable procedure to a user, when a next step of the reusable executable procedure cannot be successfully executed. In yet another embodiment, the method comprises monitoring user actions while the user is executing steps of the reusable executable procedure, aligning the monitored user actions to the reusable procedure, and continuing automatic execution of the reusable procedure, if the monitored steps align with the reusable procedure. The monitored user actions can be used to augment the reusable executable procedure.

0016These and other embodiments, aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be described or become apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

0017<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref> illustrates a method for generating and distributing executable procedures according to an embodiment of the present invention.

0018<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref> illustrates a system for generating and distributing executable procedures according to an embodiment of the invention.

0019<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> illustrates a method for executing an executable procedure according to an embodiment of the invention.

0020<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> illustrates a method for executing an executable procedure according to another embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

0021The present invention is directed to systems and methods for dynamically generating computer executable technical support procedures, as well as updating/augmenting such executable procedures, by tracking and processing sequences of actions (execution traces) that are taken by experts (or users) when performing a procedure or when executing an executable procedure.

0022It is to be understood that the systems and methods described herein in accordance with the present invention may be implemented in various forms of hardware, software, firmware, special purpose processors, or a combination thereof. Preferably, the present invention is implemented in software as an application comprising program instructions that are tangibly embodied on one or more program storage devices (e.g., hard disk, magnetic floppy disk, RAM, CD ROM, DVD, ROM and flash memory), and executable by any device or machine comprising suitable architecture.

0023It is to be further understood that because the constituent system modules and method steps depicted in the accompanying Figures can be implemented in software, the actual connections between the system components (or the flow of the process steps) may differ depending upon the manner in which the application is programmed. Given the teachings herein, one of ordinary skill in the related art will be able to contemplate these and similar implementations or configurations of the present invention.

0024Referring now to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>, a flow diagram illustrates a method for generating and distributing a reusable executable procedure according to an embodiment of the invention. Initially, an expert executing a given procedure or task is “observed” (step <b>101</b>). More specifically, the process of observing comprises monitoring and recording a sequence of steps/actions (e.g., mouse clicks, keyboard actions, etc.) that are taken by an expert (or user) when manually performing a task/procedure on, e.g., a machine that is to be repaired or upgraded. Furthermore, while the expert executes the procedure, the expert may annotate one or more executed steps to explain why certain actions are taken or why certain decisions are made, and such annotations are recorded (step <b>102</b>). It is to be understood that steps <b>101</b> and <b>102</b> can be executed in parallel and not necessarily in a sequential order.

0025The captured sequence of actions and recorded annotations are then converted to an annotated execution trace that represents the execution of the procedure. The execution trace is then stored in a procedure database (step <b>103</b>). Preferably, multiple execution traces corresponding to the same or similar procedure are generated and stored in the procedure database by different experts (or users) on different machines, for example. Then, to produce an executable procedure for a given procedure, one or more corresponding/related procedure execution traces are retrieved from the procedure database (step <b>104</b>).

0026The retrieved execution traces are aligned and generalized to produce an executable procedure. More specifically, an alignment process is performed on the procedure execution traces to identify/match corresponding/related steps/actions between the different procedure traces (step <b>105</b>). An alignment process according to an embodiment of the invention comprises identifying the control flow of the procedure by determining which steps in each trace correspond to the same logical step in the executable procedure. For example, if one procedure trace consists of two required steps with an optional step in between, and a second procedure trace contains only the two required steps, the alignment process determines that the first steps observed in both traces are instances of the same procedure step, and the last steps observed in both traces are instances of a second procedure step, and the optional step may be present in some executions of the procedure, but not others.

0027A generalization process is performed using the aligned traces to produce a distributable executable procedure (step <b>106</b>). A generalization process according to an embodiment of the invention comprises identifying differences between corresponding steps of different traces, explaining them, and abstracting them into a logical description of the action to be performed at each step. Such differences may arise because of variances in the environments in which the traces were generated, such as the username of the expert performing the procedure, or the name of the computer on which the procedure is performed.

0028Examples of a generalization process according to the invention will now be provided. Consider a scenario in which a communication device, e.g., a wireless card, is installed, and an operating system is instructed to use a specific domain name server (“DNS”). Traces acquired at different locations, such as, on computers having different domain names, have different DNSs. In this example, a generalization process according to the invention would be used for detecting these differences, correlating the differences with the domain name, and inferring a rule to generate the Internet protocol (“IP”) address of the DNS from the domain name of the machine.

0029Another example of generalization comprises identifying branch points in a procedure, where different sub-procedures are executed depending on values of system properties or of user characteristics. The generalization process identifies relevant user properties or user characteristics that determine which sub-procedure is executed.

0030Yet another example of generalization comprises identifying sequences of steps that are iteratively performed on a collection of objects. In a programming language, this corresponds to a loop. A generalization process according to the invention identifies a collection of objects on which to perform a sequence of steps, the potential differences between the sequences of steps performed on individual objects, and a terminating condition of the loop.

0031It is to be understood that in another embodiment of the invention, the alignment and generalization steps can be combined into one step, rather than being separately executed.

0032Once executable procedures are generated and stored, a desired procedure can be retrieved and executed (step <b>107</b>). In accordance with the invention, the process of retrieving a stored procedure can be performed in a variety of ways. For example, an executable procedure can be delivered to a user via e-mail or on electronic media (e.g., floppy diskette). Furthermore, an executable procedure can be retrieved by a user using a file transfer protocol (“FTP”) server, or an executable procedure could be retrieved from a web-server where a search engine facilitates the identification of the correct procedure.

0033Referring now to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>, a diagram illustrates a system for generating and disseminating executable procedures according to an embodiment of the invention. The system (<b>200</b>) comprises a user machine (<b>201</b>) (e.g., PC (personal computer, laptop computer, etc) comprising a procedure monitoring application (<b>202</b>). The procedure monitoring application (<b>202</b>) is used to monitor and record procedures that are executed and annotated by either an expert or by a user under the direction of an expert during a phone consultation, for example, to create annotated procedure traces. The annotated procedure traces are sent over a network (<b>203</b>) (e.g., Internet, WAN, LAN, wireless, or combination thereof, etc.) to a remote system (<b>204</b>). In one embodiment, the procedure monitoring application (<b>202</b>) performs the steps <b>101</b>-<b>103</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>.

0034The remote system (<b>204</b>) comprises a procedure trace repository (<b>205</b>) or database which stores annotated procedure traces that are generated via application (<b>202</b>). A server (<b>206</b>) retrieves traces of similar procedure executions from the repository (<b>205</b>) and generates executable procedures via a procedure generation application (<b>207</b>). More specifically, in one embodiment, the procedure generation application (<b>207</b>) aligns and generalizes the traces, and produces distributable executable procedures (steps <b>104</b>-<b>106</b>, <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 1</figref>) which are stored in a database (<b>209</b>) of a procedure server (<b>208</b>). The stored reusable, executable procedures (<b>209</b>) can then be distributed across the network (<b>203</b>) to one or more user machines (<b>210</b>) comprising a procedure execution engine (<b>211</b>) for executing such procedures. It is to be understood that the components of system (<b>204</b>) can be distributed over a network (e.g., network (<b>203</b>)).

0035In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a procedure monitoring application (<b>202</b>) comprises modules to interface with an operating system (e.g., a version of Microsoft Windows® operating system) to retrieve system information using published application program interfaces (“API”) of the operating system, as well as modules that observe the actions of the user, such as mouse movements and keyboard clicks. Methods for monitoring mouse events and keyboard events are known in the art, and can be performed, for example, in the Microsoft Windows® operating system using appropriate system calls. For example, the APIs and system calls for Microsoft Windows® operating systems are described in publicly available documentation.

0036Preferably, a procedure monitoring application (<b>202</b>) according to the present invention is capable of recording a wide variety of system actions, including visible changes to a graphical user interface (“GUI”), such as, creation and deletion of windows, changes to window contents, and creation, deletion, activation, and deactivation of network connections, for example.

0037It is to be appreciated that there are various advantages associated with the systems and methods according to the invention. For example, rather than repeatedly guiding multiple users through the same procedure, or writing a complex program (script) that corresponds to the procedure and testing the program on a variety of machines, the present invention enables support center personnel to guide a few users through the procedure, record the procedure execution traces, and then build an executable procedure from such traces. The executable procedure could then be deployed instead of a script. Accordingly, when a user needs to perform a required task, the corresponding executable procedure could be delivered to the user and automatically executed without further intervention of support personnel.

0038It is to be understood that the number of execution traces that are needed to learn a given procedure will vary based on the complexity of the procedure. For example, a small number of execution traces would be required to learn procedures having limited variability, whereas a potentially large number of traces would be required for complex procedures.

0039There are various methods for executing executable procedures according to the invention. In general, in one embodiment, an execution method comprises automatically executing an entire executable procedure. In another embodiment of the invention, an execution method comprises automatically executing applicable portions of a procedure, wherein a user or an expert can execute portions of the procedure that have not been learned from previous examples (execution traces). In yet another embodiment, an execution method comprises recording user actions performed during the execution of portions of the procedure that have not been learned from previous examples, and augmenting the procedure by processing the recorded actions.

0040<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> is a flow diagram of a method for executing an executable procedure according to an embodiment of the invention. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> illustrates a mode of operation of a procedure execution engine (<b>211</b>, <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>) according to an embodiment of the invention. Initially, a user will obtain/select/retrieve an executable procedure using methods as described above, and the execution engine will commence execution of the selected procedure while monitoring system parameters, user actions and system reactions (step <b>300</b>). It is to be understood that such monitoring is preferably performed using the same (or similar) procedure monitoring system and method as described above with respect to the procedure monitoring application (<b>202</b>).

0041Execution of the procedure will continue (i.e., the execution engine will continue to execute the procedure steps) until a termination condition is met (affirmative determination in step <b>301</b>) in which case the execution engine terminates execution (step <b>307</b>). On the other hand, when a termination condition is not met (negative determination in step <b>301</b>), the execution engine will attempt to determine the next procedure step to be executed (step <b>302</b>).

0042If execution engine can determine the next step of the procedure that is to be performed (affirmative determination in step <b>302</b>), the execution engine will attempt to generalize the action(s) associated with the current procedure step (step <b>303</b>). More specifically, the execution engine will attempt to tailor the action(s) to the specifics of the procedure instance being executed. If the action(s) can be generalized (affirmative determination is step <b>303</b>), a determination is made as to whether user input is needed for executing the action(s) (step <b>304</b>).

0043If no user interaction is required (negative determination in step <b>304</b>), the execution engine executes the action(s) (step <b>306</b>), then process flow continues from step <b>300</b>. If user input (e.g., password) is required (affirmative determination in step <b>304</b>), then the system asks the user for the desired input (step <b>305</b>) (e.g., user is prompted for a password), and the action(s) are executed (step <b>306</b>).

0044As depicted in the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, if the currently available procedure is suitable for a specific configuration of the machine/device on which the procedure is executed, and no unforeseen error conditions occur, then the entire procedure is automatically executed until successful termination. In other words, in the exemplary diagram of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, only steps <b>300</b>-<b>306</b> would be continually executed until a termination condition is met (step <b>301</b>).

0045However, if the execution system fails to identify which procedure step should be executed next (negative determination in step <b>302</b>), or fails to generalize (negative determination in step <b>303</b>), then the system temporarily relinquishes the procedure execution to the user for manual execution, whereby the process flow continues from step <b>308</b>.

0046More specifically, there may be unforeseen conditions that occur, in which the execution engine is unable to determine the next step of the procedure to be executed (negative determination in step <b>302</b>). For instance, the previous action may have resulted in an error condition for which no recovery procedure had been recorded.

0047Moreover, there may be circumstances in which the execution engine is unable to generalize (negative determination in step <b>303</b>). For example, assume that the execution engine determines that it must launch a specific application. The execution engine will look for the application in a set of directories learned from the execution traces used for learning the procedure. Presuming that the application has been installed in an unusual directory and that the engine is not able to find the application, then the execution engine fails to generalize.

0048When the system temporarily relinquishes the procedure execution to the user, the execution system starts recording system parameters, user actions, and system reactions (step <b>308</b>) that have been monitored starting from step <b>300</b>. As the user executes actions, the execution system obtains recorded action(s) (step <b>309</b>) and attempts, in real-time, to align the user actions with the procedure (step <b>310</b>).

0049If the execution system determines that the current user action(s) cannot be aligned with the procedure (negative determination in step <b>310</b>), the system will continue to obtain recorded user actions (step <b>309</b>) and attempt alignment (step <b>311</b>). As the process of real-time alignment of user actions with the procedure continuously fails, the execution system will continue to record the user actions until the user terminates the sub-procedure execution (affirmative determination in step <b>314</b>).

0050If the execution system determines that the current user action(s) can be aligned with the procedure (affirmative determination in step <b>310</b>), the execution system queries the user as to whether the system should take control of the execution (step <b>311</b>). If the user does not relinquish control of the procedure execution to the system (negative result in step <b>311</b>), the system will continue to record and process the user actions. On the other hand, if the user allows the execution system to regain control of the procedure execution (affirmative result in step <b>311</b>), the system will stop recording the user actions (<b>312</b>).

0051The recorded actions will then be processed to augment the learned procedure (step <b>313</b>) so that the same situation encountered during future invocations of the procedure results in a normal procedure execution. In one embodiment of the invention, step <b>313</b> is performed by sending the recorded user actions to the procedure repository (<b>205</b>), whereby the recorded user actions are processed by the server (<b>206</b>) to update the executable procedure stored in database (<b>209</b>) of the procedure server (<b>208</b>), as shown in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>.

0052In one preferred embodiment according to the present invention, when an executable procedure is performed in a GUI (graphical user interface)-based system, such as the Microsoft Windows® operating systems or a Java® virtual machine, the executed actions (step <b>306</b>, <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>) are performed by simulating user actions such as, mouse and keyboard clicks. This can be done by invoking the appropriate API of the GUI, for example, APIs described in Microsoft Development Network (“MSDN”) on-line resources.

0053Advantageously, the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> enables executable procedures to be learned from examples incrementally. Initially, executable procedures that are learned from a handful of examples (execution traces) can be distributed and widely executed. Indeed, paths through a procedure that apply to large number of users can be quickly learned, and then disseminated to a large portion of the user base, which users can readily benefit from the learned procedure. Then, when new paths (new sub-procedure) of the procedure are subsequently encountered, systems and methods according to the present invention (e.g., the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>) can be implemented to enable a user to manually perform the new sub-procedure. The manually entered sub-procedure results in execution traces that can be used for learning/augmenting/updating an executable procedure, and incorporated in the executable procedure.

0054The execution of a new sub-procedure may include calling a support center, but the length of such call would generally be shortened/reduced (as compared to conventional methods), because the execution system could regain control of the procedure execution after the sub-procedure terminates, and then automatically execute known (learned) actions. Moreover, an updated, executable procedure can be reused by other users. Therefore, the number and length of calls to the service center to solve the same problem is substantially reduced using the systems and methods described herein.

0055Moreover, as the computing environment evolves and new software or hardware components become available, a learned executable procedure is not rendered obsolete. For example, when a user having a computer with more recent components attempts to execute a given executable procedure, the execution engine may detect an unusual situation (steps <b>302</b> or <b>303</b>, <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>) during execution of the executable procedure. In such circumstances, the user can enter a new portion of the executable procedure either with or without the assistance of the support center, whereby the executable procedure can be updated and made available to future users.

0056<figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> is a flow diagram of a method for executing an executable procedure according to another embodiment of the invention. <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> illustrates a mode of operation of a procedure execution engine (<b>211</b>, <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>) according to another embodiment of the invention. In general, the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> is similar to the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, but extends such method by enabling execution of a learned procedure under direct supervision of the user.

0057More specifically, referring now to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref>, a user will obtain/select/retrieve an executable procedure, and the execution engine will commence execution of the selected procedure while monitoring system parameters, user actions and system reactions (step <b>400</b>). Execution of the procedure will continue until a termination condition is met (affirmative determination in step <b>401</b>) in which case the execution engine terminates execution (step <b>407</b>). It is to be understood that steps <b>400</b>, <b>401</b> and <b>406</b> are essentially the same as steps <b>300</b>, <b>301</b> and <b>307</b>, respectively, of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>.

0058On the other hand, when a termination condition is not met (negative determination in step <b>401</b>), the execution engine will attempt to determine if the next step of the executable procedure can be performed (step <b>402</b>). In one embodiment of the invention, this process (step <b>402</b>) includes identifying the next step of the procedure that is to be performed and attempting to generalize the action(s) associated with the next procedure step. In other words, in one embodiment, step <b>402</b> is essentially the same as steps <b>302</b> and <b>303</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> combined.

0059If the next step of the procedure can be performed (affirmative determination in step <b>402</b>), the execution engine will demonstrate (or otherwise indicate) to the user the next action to be performed (step <b>403</b>). For example, in one embodiment where the execution system supports a GUI, the execution engine can interact with GUI widgets, for example, windows, menus, and buttons, to thereby indicate the next step of a procedure to the user by outlining, highlighting, or pointing to the window where the action is to be taken and textually explaining the action, for example, “select an item”, “type the following sentence”, “clicking the button”, and displaying expert annotations, if available.

0060The execution engine will then determine if the user has authorized the execution engine to perform such demonstrated/specified action (step <b>404</b>). If the user authorizes the next step to be performed (affirmative determination in step <b>404</b>), the specified action will be performed (step <b>405</b>). Otherwise, if authorization is not given (negative determination in step <b>404</b>), the user can commence with manual execution (proceed to step <b>407</b>) as explained above with reference to <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>.

0061It is to be appreciated that authorization from the user (step <b>404</b>) can be obtained explicitly or implicitly. In one embodiment where explicit authorization is provided, the user interface can display a “next step” button, for example, that enables the user to click or otherwise select the button to proceed with execution (step <b>405</b>). Furthermore, any user input required to perform the action (e.g., password) may be included in such authorization.

0062On the other hand, the system can be configured such that the user can provide implicit direction to not execute the specified action, e.g., by the user performing another action, whereby execution proceeds to step <b>407</b>. In yet another embodiment according to the present invention, the user interface can include a “pause” button, which temporarily pauses the procedure execution, thereby allowing the user to perform unrelated tasks in the interim.

0063It is be appreciated that as with the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref> explained above, the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> allows a user to manually perform and record a portion of the executable procedure (in other words, steps <b>407</b>, <b>408</b>, <b>409</b>, <b>410</b>, <b>411</b> and <b>413</b> of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> are essentially the same as steps <b>308</b>, <b>309</b>, <b>310</b>, <b>311</b>, <b>312</b>, and <b>314</b>, respectively, of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>). In addition, as with the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 3</figref>, the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> allows incremental augmentation of the learned executable procedure from execution traces that are obtained during manual execution of a portion of an executable procedure (that is, steps <b>412</b> and <b>313</b> are essentially the same), even when no unforeseen events are detected and the next step of the procedure can be performed (affirmative determination in step <b>402</b>). In other words, if an action can be performed and is demonstrated to the user, the user can still direct the system to not execute the action (negative result in step <b>404</b>) and proceed manually (proceed to steps <b>408</b>, et seq.).

0064It is to be appreciated that the capability of allowing a user to manually perform a new sub-procedure or manually perform already learned steps of an executable procedure (according to the methods of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIGS. 3 and 4</figref>) is not supported by conventional methods that use scripts. The methods and systems described herein support such capabilities because actions performed by the user are aligned with the learned procedure. When alignment is achieved, the execution engine can again take over the procedure and continue to correctly execute it. Conventional scripts or programs are not able to monitor user actions and recognize when they can resume operation. These functionalities must be programmed and tailored to individual procedures.

0065It is to be further appreciated that in another embodiment of the invention, the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref> can be extended such that various steps in the process (e.g., steps <b>402</b>, <b>403</b>, <b>404</b>) are performed with other user interactions. For example, when implementing the method of <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 4</figref>, when the execution system is faced with a situation where it is determined (in step <b>402</b>) that multiple alternative actions can be taken and the system cannot determine which action to select (negative determination in step <b>402</b>), rather than proceed to step <b>407</b>, the system can be configured to inform the user that there are multiple possible actions, and demonstrate one or more possible actions to the user (step <b>403</b>). For example, the system could list the actions textually, and allow the user to select which actions should be demonstrated. In this embodiment, the user would be allowed to select one of the multiple alternatives or to reject them all.

0066In yet another embodiment, if the execution system is faced with multiple alternative actions, the system could be configured to rank such actions in the order of importance, display these actions in the ranked order, and provide the user with a justification of the ranking. For example, in a circumstance where most of the previously recorded traces perform a particular action, while a minority of the previously traces contain one or more different actions, the execution system could rank the particular action as the most important, and justify the ranking in terms of frequency of occurrence in previously recorded traces.

0067It is to be appreciated that in addition to systems and methods for executing procedures learned from examples, other embodiments of the invention may be readily envisioned by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the teachings herein. For example, in the system (<b>200</b>) depicted in <figref idref="DRAWINGS">FIG. 2</figref>, the procedure generation module (<b>207</b>) in server (<b>206</b>) may comprise visualization and editing tools that would enable an expert to visualize and edit an executable procedure. A visualization tool preferably comprises those mechanisms described above (e.g., GUI simulation of procedure execution). A procedure editing tool preferably enables, for example, adding and removing procedure steps or sub-procedures, adding and removing conditions that distinguish between sub-procedures, adding and removing annotations, or merging different procedure steps or sub-procedures.

0068In another embodiment of the invention, some of the stored procedures (<b>209</b>) in the procedure server (<b>208</b>) can be directly constructed using a procedure editor tool, which allows an expert to construct procedures by demonstrating or coding individual steps, specifying preconditions and post-conditions of individual steps by demonstration or by manual coding, and combining multiple individual steps using the editing capabilities described above.

0069Although illustrative embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise system and method embodiments described herein, and that various other changes and modifications may be affected therein by one or ordinary skill in the art without departing form the scope or spirit of the invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.